Man arrested in Calif. in Fitchburg stabbing

FITCHBURG -- A man was charged in California in connection with the violent stabbing of a 43-year-old Clinton Street man at River and Main streets last month, according to court documents.

Cardea Wells, 29, with a last known address of 1295 Main St., third floor, Fitchburg, was rendited from California to face charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon with serious bodily injury and armed assault with intent to murder after a warrant sent to his local address was returned as undeliverable.

According to a series of police reports included in court documents, Wells and the victim got into an argument inside a nearby Main Street convenience store on the evening of Oct. 7. The victim told police Wells was "looking at him like he owed him money" and initiated the argument, but said he did not know Wells.

The alleged victim's wife escorted her husband out of the store, with Wells following, and the argument escalated outside. She got into her vehicle and called for her husband to follow, she told police, and began to back up and turn the car around so their 4-year-old son would not witness any violence. In the meantime, Wells allegedly struck the victim with what was described as a folding blade knife, and allegedly began hitting him with a trash can, the reports state.

When the alleged victim's wife realized he'd been stabbed, she began screaming for help, according to the documents.

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The alleged victim's stepdaughter exited the vehicle screaming at Wells, and told police he balled up his fists and took a step toward her in an aggressive manner and then walked away up Main Street toward West Street.

The alleged victim sustained a single stab would to the left side of his chest, causing injury to his heart. He was sent to UMass Medical Center in Worcester by medical helicopter with injuries that were not expected to be life-threatening. Police identified Wells using store surveillance video, and witnesses picked him out of a photo lineup. Detective David Daigle said in a report that Wells was the alleged victim of a Sept. 22 stabbing incident on West Street.

Wells has a lengthy criminal history, having served jail time on a number of previous charges. He was convicted in 2007 and sentenced to two to three years in jail for shooting at a witness in a drug case at Fitchburg District Court on June 6, 2006. No one was injured in the afternoon drive-by shooting, which occurred in the presence of police and courthouse employees. He has also served time for assault-and-battery and drug convictions. A 2003 armed robbery charge was dismissed.

Wells was arraigned in Fitchburg District Court on Tuesday and his bail was set at $5,000 cash or $50,000 surety. He is due back in court Dec. 18.

N.H. man sought in check-fraud case

FITCHBURG -- A warrant has been issued for a New Hampshire man suspected of using fraudulent checks at Joe's South Street Variety Store this summer, according to court documents.

Jorge L. Corniel, 49, of 283 Laurel St., Manchester, N.H., is charged with three counts of larceny over $250, three counts of uttering a false check, three counts of forgery of a check and three counts of identity fraud.

According to a police report included with court documents, on three separate occasions in August, Corniel allegedly defrauded the business over $300 with each false check, totaling about $960. Corniel allegedly assumed the identity of a Jorge Hernandez, a man with whom he bears a similarity, even using the man's photo identification card as his own, the report states.

Local man faces child-porn charges

FITCHBURG -- A Fitchburg woman's estranged husband is facing a child-pornography charge after she allegedly found nude photos of at least one child on his cellphone last December, according to court documents.

A redacted police report included with court documents states that Green's accuser told police of her discovery.

Green was released on personal recognizance with the condition of no abuse, and is due back in court Jan. 16.

A separate file on Green at Fitchburg District Court shows that charges of distributing obscene matter and possessing material of a child in a nude lascivious pose, filed against Green in August, were dismissed Tuesday. The document shows the date of those offenses to be Dec. 15, but it is unclear whether these charges were related to the same incident.

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